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Phentex

(16,709 posts)

94. I was recently asked for my name, phone number and email when I was buying a gift card!

Wed May 28, 2014, 01:36 PM

May 2014

I was at a small, independent book/gift store to make a purchase for a teacher. At the check out, the clerk asked for the name of the teacher. Then he asked my name and even though I told him, I said I knew I wasn't in their system. Then he asked for a phone number. I asked if that was required to make a purchase. He said no and then gave me some lame reason for wanting it...something about when they lose power, they lose information in their system. Then he asked for my email and said it would be to send me updates and coupons and I said no thank you. He then assured me they don't use it for any other purpose, only for themselves in case they need to reach me. (???) I got a little impatient at that point and asked if I could make my purchases or not. He rang up the order but he kept telling me why they ask for this info the whole time.

I feel like the first and only question he should have asked is if I WANTED to provide him with further information. That's it.

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What is it with cashiers in grocery stores always asking you for $1 for some foundation? [View all] raccoon May 2014 OP

I don't like it either. Ilsa May 2014 #1

the receipt from the store includes your donation. PeaceNikki May 2014 #5

+1 Sissyk May 2014 #115

Seriously, I also give money directly to the homeless sometimes. They don't give me tax receipts, PeaceNikki May 2014 #118

Me, too! Sissyk May 2014 #122

You'Re not alone ethelfxm May 2014 #2

Do you think the store is keeping the money? joeglow3 May 2014 #11

the store only serves as an agent collecting PeaceNikki May 2014 #3

Yes... I think when stores serve as collection point for food banks it works well. hlthe2b May 2014 #7

I guess what MIGHT help would be if I email somebody at the Publix, Kmart, whatever, raccoon May 2014 #4

Yeah. Fuck those poor and disadvantaged. joeglow3 May 2014 #12

Nice presentation of a FALSE CHOICE. yellowcanine May 2014 #37

I would think it should be about making Sissyk May 2014 #117

Yes The store gets to claim it as a charitable contribution--as though it all came from the company hlthe2b May 2014 #6

That makes no sense. joeglow3 May 2014 #17

^^^THIS^^^ nt ProdigalJunkMail May 2014 #24

Add another COLGATE4 May 2014 #34

You are being incredibly rude. Is it too much to ask that you disagree civily? Go to hlthe2b May 2014 #45

The Receipt Shows It As A Donation To Charity ProfessorGAC May 2014 #90

This is correct. It's also booked differently than income. It's a liability. PeaceNikki May 2014 #98

Good Observation ProfessorGAC May 2014 #100

if your CPA told you ProdigalJunkMail May 2014 #126

Seriously?!?! Do you have a link for that? stevenleser May 2014 #105

Steven, this is what my CPA told me when discussing planning for my own charitable contributions. hlthe2b May 2014 #123

oh brother . . . . anything to substantiate this claim? DrDan May 2014 #111

Yeah, I hate it, too. CTyankee May 2014 #8

Did you ask the manager? GeorgeGist May 2014 #9

No, but I might complain to one. nt raccoon May 2014 #14

I only donate to local organizations Le Taz Hot May 2014 #10

Publix and walgreens seem to do it the most ecstatic May 2014 #13

Kroger does it quite a lot, RebelOne May 2014 #99

The company uses the fact they do this in their "community service" advertising goldent May 2014 #15

Being asked publicly for money for a "cause' is coercive Leme May 2014 #16

I think management puts them up to it. JVS May 2014 #18

It's one of the hoops low paid employees are forced to jump. If they don't, they're gone UTUSN May 2014 #19

I know it's management telling them to do that, and I feel for the employees. Having to ask raccoon May 2014 #26

Exactly right! You give your $$ and the donation is made in the store's name. Justice May 2014 #20

Not exactly right... Jeff In Milwaukee May 2014 #22

Holy shit, is this DU or RU? joeglow3 May 2014 #21

WHOA, there, I think you're jumping to conclusions. raccoon May 2014 #27

And others don't think/budget like you and I do. joeglow3 May 2014 #31

all non profit pay less taxes... if tax deductible.... a scam of sorts Leme May 2014 #36

Point is there are scams and one cannot always tell who is legit or not. yellowcanine May 2014 #41

No one here NO ONE is advocating against charity. EVERY single poster, in fact has underscored their hlthe2b May 2014 #70

Did you miss the people advocating for this practice to go away? joeglow3 May 2014 #85

No... They are expressing discomfort at the method==not at donating to charity.... hlthe2b May 2014 #86

First of all, your strident vitriol liberalhistorian May 2014 #112

How is asking someone if they want to donate a dollar browbeating? joeglow3 May 2014 #116

At Giant they handed me a lottery ticket of some sort IronLionZion May 2014 #23

Unionized? Tree-Hugger May 2014 #54

My local Giant in MD/DC is unionized IronLionZion May 2014 #55

I have a Giant almost directly behind my house (PA). I think it's veggies are too pricey, but I've WinkyDink May 2014 #61

Same Tree-Hugger May 2014 #69

Lucky Tree-Hugger May 2014 #67

Hmm...you can say no or you can say yes. MineralMan May 2014 #25

That sounds very judgemental and critical. I'm sure that some of the things that bother raccoon May 2014 #30

Not at all. It's your decision, entirely. MineralMan May 2014 #32

As someone who gives to charities, I dislike this store tactic. WinkyDink May 2014 #28

"Not today, thank you." So easy...n/t monmouth3 May 2014 #29

Yes, until the third request and the guilt sets in fried eggs May 2014 #35

Not me, I don't do guilt...LOL..n/t monmouth3 May 2014 #43

No thank you, not today sharp_stick May 2014 #33

"A lot of really good organizations get major funding from this" How do you know that? yellowcanine May 2014 #42

Very annoying. I research charities carefully and pick who I want to donate to. Nye Bevan May 2014 #38

It's like a freaking dollar or two gollygee May 2014 #39

"the money always seems to be collected for a good cause" How do you know that? yellowcanine May 2014 #47

I have never seen one collected for an in-house charity gollygee May 2014 #56

Same here. The grocery store here even match my donation, dollar for dollar. FSogol May 2014 #63

No. Most are large food banks or hospitals. PeaceNikki May 2014 #88

Check out the store's website. Often they match what is donated by customers 1 to 1 up to max FSogol May 2014 #40

"less of an inconvenience that having the charity call you." False Choice. yellowcanine May 2014 #44

One thing I find laughable about all the progressives and liberals on DU is the amount of FSogol May 2014 #57

Who said anything about harassment? And who said the clerks want to do this? yellowcanine May 2014 #97

"Who said anything about harassment?" - You Did! FSogol May 2014 #102

I am in the store to make a purchase. The clerk is there to help me do that. yellowcanine May 2014 #104

In our store, they ask for a $1 or $5 contribution OR take a paper grocery bag and fill it up woodsprite May 2014 #46

I usually ask stores if they want to contribute a dollar to the Orrex Fund. Orrex May 2014 #48

I am surprised that the stores allow it. They make a big stink about various charities that want to jwirr May 2014 #49

Reading comprehension. Try it! FSogol May 2014 #58

I do not have time to read every post completely. I am setting for three children under 5 - a little jwirr May 2014 #62

Yet you have time to post a response to something you didn't read/understand. FSogol May 2014 #64

No transportation and too old to drive. I long ago decided on my own that I would quit driving as jwirr May 2014 #71

Relax. No one wants you to leave DU. And if there was a expert only rule, no one would be here. FSogol May 2014 #73

No need to retract. It upset me but it did not kill me. Thanks for understanding. jwirr May 2014 #76

Sounds a bit stressful! Fun too! JNelson6563 May 2014 #72

Thanks for the info. I have seen the awards up on the walls when I go to the store. Always wondered jwirr May 2014 #75

I remember those busy mom days well! JNelson6563 May 2014 #77

Yes, we live on a small farm. They love it outside. One of the drawbacks about living on a farm is jwirr May 2014 #79

It's mostly a sad symptom of what our government is failing to fund Lee-Lee May 2014 #50

+1. Exactly. n/t FSogol May 2014 #59

I don't mind giving a dollar here and there to charity. Aristus May 2014 #51

+1 n/t FSogol May 2014 #65

I work graveyard shift as a cashier. nilesobek May 2014 #52

And what happens to "low donation" cashiers? WinkyDink May 2014 #60

Not sure either, probably nothing. nilesobek May 2014 #66

Up until last month, I lived on a $1000 a month internship. Shoulders of Giants May 2014 #53

I'm just tired of getting the third degree . . . Brigid May 2014 #68

I was recently asked for my name, phone number and email when I was buying a gift card! Phentex May 2014 #94

Yup. Good customer service means getting the customer on his/her way with their purchases. yellowcanine May 2014 #101

Message auto-removed Name removed May 2014 #74

the ones where u buy a mint for a donation are bullshit 2pooped2pop May 2014 #78

I don't like it and I don't normally do it. hamsterjill May 2014 #80

I only give money to charities I trust, and know for sure are not RW scams. nt Zorra May 2014 #81

the non profits as mentioned here allow a tax write off here Leme May 2014 #82

I'd give $20 if they told me it was going to the Human Fund tularetom May 2014 #83

I don't like it. SalviaBlue May 2014 #84

K Mart Is March Of Dimes ProfessorGAC May 2014 #87

Here it's St Jude and I am THRILLED at the opportunity to help. PeaceNikki May 2014 #89

I Do It Too ProfessorGAC May 2014 #92

St. Jude - 70% goes to program. Not bad but not great either. yellowcanine May 2014 #107

They do good work and were the charity of choice for my dear friend, Monkeyfunk/Dookus who passed. PeaceNikki May 2014 #108

But 20% for fundraising seems a little high. yellowcanine May 2014 #109

cool. to each his/her own. PeaceNikki May 2014 #110

"WE'VE GOT ANOTHER DONATION AT REGISTER #6!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!!!" 951-Riverside May 2014 #91

weird. I have never heard or seen them do that... PeaceNikki May 2014 #93

Costco rings a bell... Phentex May 2014 #95

Yeah, attention would be annnoying. PeaceNikki May 2014 #96

When Costco Goleta was collecting for the last horrible hurricane (I think) I didn't get a bell. ?? Hekate May 2014 #121

Fast food seems to do it a lot, too... gmoney May 2014 #103

It bugs me, but I'm polite to the clerk when I say I choose my own charities, thank you. Hekate May 2014 #106

what bugs me Mosby May 2014 #113

You got a problem with helping people? Sissyk May 2014 #114

The only real problem I have with that is liberalhistorian May 2014 #119

I dislike them for another reason...it's a feel good Lars39 May 2014 #120

Spot on! n/t markpkessinger May 2014 #124

You get it in pet stores too MiniMe May 2014 #125

Stores and charities do it because it works and is cost effective onenote May 2014 #127